Upfronts Announcement: ABC's Schedule for 2006-2007 Season

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A new night for Grey's and several new comedies are among the changes to the schedule.

By Eric Goldman

This is a big week for television, as all five major networks announce their fall lineups at the annual Upfronts. Designed to promote the shows to advertisers, the Upfronts give us the final decision on what shows are returning, which have been canceled and what new series have been picked up for the fall. IGN will be attending several of the Upfronts this year, so check back in the next few days for more detailed reports on what guests showed up and our initial reaction to the clips from the new series that were shown. In the meantime, we'll keep you up to date as each network takes their turn announcing their lineup.Yesterday we covered NBC's announcement. Second up this year to make announcements were ABC. Notable among returning shows on their lineup is the decision to renew What About Brian, which was believed to be on the verge of cancellation. They've also made the bold choice to move the huge hit Grey's Anatomy to Thursdays in an attempt to stake a claim on a night that CBS and NBC have been dominant on. The full schedule for ABC is as follows (descriptions for new series provided by the network):

10:00 E/P Brothers & Sisters (new): The adult children of William Walker, along with their respective families, have gathered to celebrate Kitty's birthday. Little do they know that, on this day, their lives will take a dramatic turn. Kitty's radio success has led to a TV pundit job in Los Angeles, but her New York boyfriend just proposed. Down to earth Thomas has joined forces with his sister, Sarah, a high powered executive and mother of three, in an effort to fix the family business. Kevin's well-ordered life is shaken by the news that his ex-wife is moving his adolescent son to Texas. Justin, a Gulf War vet, has kicked nicotine, but other addictions keep him from moving forward in his career and love life. These siblings are about to find out that underneath the idyllic family fa¿ade lie many secrets that threaten to either tear the family apart or bring them closer together. As told through the insightful eyes of the family's most outspoken and public sibling, Calista Flockhart (Ally McBeal) stars alongside Rachel Griffiths (Six Feet Under) and Ron Rifkin (Alias) in this warm, humorous and relatable drama from producer Ken Olin (Alias) and Jon Robin Baitz, one of Broadway's most prominent playwrights (The Substance of Fire).

9:00 E/P The Bachelor: Rome / Supernanny (returning): The two reality series will take turns in this time slot.

10:00 E/P What About Brian (returning)

TUESDAY

8:00 E/P Dancing with the Stars / Set For the Rest of Your Life (returning/new): The surprise hit Stars returns in the fall. When it's finished, the new Set will take its place and is described thusly: Just imagine: You're leaving the studio financially independent with a monthly payment for as long as you live! Yes, even if you are to live another 100 years. With a big smile on your face, you will be cashing a monthly check for the rest of your life. Now how does that sound? In this high-tension game show, the contestant will first battle for the highest monthly check possible. Does he end up with $50 a month? $500 a month? Or will he receive well over $10,000 a month? The contestant's next battle is even more important: Time! Does he win that payment just for one month? For a quarter of a year, half a year, one year? For three, ten, twenty years maybe? Or&#Array; for the rest of his life? And&#Array; did the contestant's partner, hidden in a sound-proof isolation booth away from where it's all happening, help to make that dream come true or turn that dream into a nightmare? "Set for the Rest of Your Life" is a game show for strong relationships only, that's for sure!

9:00 E/P Let's Rob&#Array; (new): For almost 20 years, Eugene Gurkin has dreamt of opening a bar, but his dead end job on the late, late janitorial shift won't even fund a bottle of premium booze. In the wake of a co-worker's death, he catches an episode of television. Call it divine intervention, call it a dumb idea, but whatever it is takes hold of Eugene and soon he recruits a group of misfits into his "gang" for a heist to finance their dreams. The target: Rock icon Mick Jagger's super-luxe Central Park West apartment. Working together, this band of affable, new-age Robin Hoods, who have never even shoplifted a candy bar, are soon casing the joint and prepping for their crime. What they don't know is that there's a much richer target for them&#Array; the chance to find hope, self-esteem and confidence within themselves. From Jon Beckerman and Rob Burnett, producers of Late Show with David Letterman and creators of Ed, comes a hilarious tale of haves and have nots. Donal Logue (Grounded for Life) stars. Mick Jagger appears in a cameo (he is not a series regular).

9:30 E/P Help Me Help You (new): Whoever came up with the idea of group therapy? Take a bunch of people who are all really messed up in different ways and put them in a room together to try and help each other out. The group leader, Dr. Bill Hoffman, is probably the craziest and most self-obsessed of all, but his patients would never know it because he hides behind his very respectable celebrity image as a bestselling author of phenomenally successful self-help books. Directed by Brian Dannelly (Saved,Weeds), the series explores the comical side of group therapy as members of the group apply the good doctor's advice to the real world with enthusiastic effort, until they begin to realize maybe Dr. Bill should be doing the heavy lifting along with them. Ted Danson (Cheers) stars.

10:00 E/P The Nine (new): So much in life is beyond your control. You may go about your day like any other when suddenly a random moment, an accident, a blessing, even a stranger redirects your life forever. And on that day, it's up to you to decide if that moment will stop you in your tracks or lift you up to new heights. Nine people will face just such an unexpected twist when they are caught in a bank robbery gone wrong and endure a 52-hour hostage standoff that will leave more than one person dead. When all is said and done, these people will never be the same. They will share the common bond of what happens inside the bank and will be forever affected and intertwined because of it. From the creator of Without a Trace and an executive producer of The West Wing comes a dramatic character study that will keep audiences hooked with the mystery of what happened during the hostage standoff. Each episode will begin with a flashback to reveal another 10 minutes of the hostage crisis, uncovering why and how these nine strangers are still linked today. Tim Daly (Wings), Chi McBride (Boston Public) and Scott Wolf (Party of Five) star.